VOA慢速英语2020 美国最受欢迎的民族菜是什么？（在线收听）

For years, the United States has been called a melting pot– a place where different individuals or groups of people are mixed together.And the countrys food preferences show that.

多年来，美国一直被称为大熔炉——不同个体或群体混杂在一起的地方。而这个国家的饮食偏好也表明了这一点。

Many Americans learn about and enjoy different cultures through food.One study shows that Mexican food is the most popular ethnic food in the largest number of states.It is especially popular on the U.S. West Coast.But Chinese food is the top ethnic food nationwide.

许多美国人通过食物了解和享受不同的文化。一项研究表明，墨西哥菜是美国大多数州最受欢迎的民族菜。它在美国西海岸特别受欢迎。但中国菜是全美最受欢迎的民族菜。

"Both cuisines have a rich history connected to the large immigrant Chinese and Mexican populations in the U.S." notes Georgie Mihaila.She is with a food-based blog called Chefs Pencil.

乔琪·米哈拉指出：“这两种菜肴都有着悠久的历史，而这些历史与美国大量的华裔和墨西哥移民有关。”她为一个名为Chef’s Pencil的美食博客网站工作。

The website was the idea of professional chefs, the men and women who prepare meals for top restaurants.It used information from Googles search engine to identify the most popular ethnic food in the country.

这个网站是专业厨师的主意，专业厨师是为顶级餐厅准备饭菜的人。该网站利用谷歌搜索引擎中的信息来确定该国最受欢迎的民族菜。

Mihaila said that as generations of immigrants settled in the U.S.,they made their food more readily available and less costly.

米哈拉说，随着一代又一代的移民在美国定居，他们让自己的民族菜变得更容易买到，也更便宜。 

Thai, Korean, Vietnamese and Japanese restaurants are also gaining fans across the country.Their popularity is no accident, either.

泰国餐厅、韩国餐厅、越南餐厅和日本餐馆也在全美范围内受到追捧。这些餐厅受到欢迎也不是偶然。

In 2002, for example, Thailands government started training chefs and sending them out to share their cuisine with the world.The aim of the "Global Thai" culinary diplomacy program was to increase the number of Thai restaurants worldwide.

例如，2002年，泰国政府开始培训厨师，并派他们出去与世界分享泰国菜。“全球泰国”烹饪外交计划是为了在世界范围内增加泰国餐厅的数量。

Millennials are leading the push for more diverse food experiences.Millennials are now the nations largest age group.They are generally between the ages of 26 and 40.And they are likely to share their eating experiences on social media.

千禧一代正在引领更多样化的饮食体验。千禧一代现在是美国最大的年龄群体。他们通常在26岁到40岁之间。而且他们很可能会在社交媒体上分享自己的饮食体验。

"Its not just about the food, but also the atmosphere, the culture, about ...experiencing something fun and memorable," Mihaila said.

“这不仅仅是关于食物，还和氛围、文化，以及体验一些有趣与难忘的事情有关，”米哈拉说。 

In general, she added, Americans are making more adventurous food choices.

她补充说，总的来说，美国人在食物选择上更喜欢冒险。 

"Many of them are seeking new experiences, both when dining out and when cooking for themselves," she said."I think the pandemic was a great example of that with people trying out more foods that they would cook at home."

她说：“很多美国人都在寻求新的体验，无论是外出就餐还是自己做饭。”“我认为这次的疫情大流行就是一个很好的例子，人们尝试了更多可以自己在家里做的食物。”

Often, Chinese, Mexican and other ethnic food restaurants are less pricey than other eateries.

通常，中国、墨西哥和其他民族菜餐厅比其他餐厅便宜。 

But that is also changing.

但那种情况也在改变。 

Mihaila said, "You have restaurants opening up across the countrythat are serving ethnic foods like Mexican, Thai or Indian, that are positioned to serve the upper end of the market."

米哈拉说：“你可以看到全国各地都开设了一些餐厅，它们提供墨西哥、泰国或印度等民族菜，定位高端市场。”

Such businesses, she added, have seen great success.

她补充说，这类生意取得了巨大成功。 

Im Ashley Thompson.

阿什利·汤普森为您播报。